شش خطی 47
سختی، تنگنا، فرسودگی (Kun)

NOTES
1. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Bi.
2. Kong Yingda comments: “When one has encountered Impasse, one should seek deliverance in the rectification of self and the cultivation of virtue. If one were instead to use crafty words and artful phrases, which should not be believed by others, the more he pursued this path the more straitened his circumstances would become. This is why one is warned that ‘if one has words, they will not be believed’ “ See Zhouyi zhengyi, 5: 11b.
3. The lower trigram is Kan (Sink Hole), which also signifies Water, and the upper trigram is Dui (Joy), here representing Lake.
4. Cf. Lunyu (Analects) 15:1: “The noble man may certainly find himself in straitened circumstances, but it is the petty man who, when in straitened circumstances, will let himself go out of control.” Kong Yingda comments:
When the Water is below the Lake, the Lake itself will dry out, so that the myriad things will all encounter Impasse [grief, hard times, etc.]…. But the noble man would maintain his commitment to the Dao even if it meant his death. Thus, although he encounters a world of Impasse and danger, in which he might be expected to sacrifice his life, he surely will pursue his lofty goals, from which he will not deviate and which he will not alter.
See Zhouyi zhengyi, 5: 12a.
5. See section seven of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two.
6. Whereas Kong Yingda’s commentary agrees with and merely expands upon Wang’s comments, Cheng Yi’s interpretation of Second Yang is rather different:
Food and drink are what people desire, but they are also things that one bestows as gifts on others. Second Yang with its resources of strength and centrality finds itself here at a time of Impasse. It represents the noble man who is content with what he encounters. Although he is subjected to straitened and dangerous conditions, nothing affects his heart and mind, and he does not regret that he has been placed in Impasse. The Impasse that he suffers is merely an Impasse concerning the things people desire. What the noble man desires is to shower benefits on the common folk and to rescue them from the Impasse that besets the world. Second Yang is not yet able to pursue this desire to shower such benefits. Thus he represents someone who “suffers Impasse in food and drink.” Such a great man or noble man cherishes his Dao and so suffers Impasse here below. He must find a sovereign secure in the Dao who would seek him out and entrust him with duties, for only then will he be able to dispense what he has stored up. Second Yang with its virtues of strength and centrality suffers Impasse below, but above there is Fifth Yang, which represents a sovereign who is likewise imbued with strength and centrality. Their Daos are the same, and their virtues coincide, so they are sure to find each other. Thus the text says: “As soon as the crimson ceremonial garment arrives” [zhufu fanglai]. Fanglai means fangqie lai [as soon as it arrives, or only when it arrives]. A zhufu is a garment worn by a king; it is a knee covering, and it is used here to suggest the arrival of such a person. “It would be fitting to offer sacrifice here.” When offering sacrifice, one uses the utmost sincerity to get through to the numinous and the bright [the gods]. When this one finds himself at a time of Impasse, it is fitting that he use the utmost sincerity in exactly the same way, for if his virtue be sincere, he shall then be able to move and get through to his superior above…. Just when one finds himself at a time of Impasse, if he does not wait for the command [from above], perfectly sincere and content with his place here, but instead sets forth in order to seek [his sovereign] on his own, the risk involved would result in misfortune and would be something he brought upon himself—who could he blame for it?
Cheng’s reading of Second Yang would seem to be: “This one suffers Impasse in food and drink, and only when the crimson ceremonial garment arrives [i.e., only if he were perfectly sincere], would it be fitting to offer sacrifice. If he were to set forth [of his own volition], there would be misfortune, and there would be no one to blame [but himself].” See Zhouyi zhezhong, 6: 44b–45a.
7. See the extensive comments on Third Yin that appear in section five of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two.
8. That is, as Kong Yingda comments, such a one “does not see his wife.” See Zhouyi zhengyi, 5: 13a.
9. Cheng Yi has a different interpretation of Fifth Yang:
To cut off the nose is called yi, a wound done to one’s upper part. To cut off the feet is yue, a wound done to one’s lower part. Fifth Yang is waylaid both above and below by yin lines, which inflict these wounds…. Fifth Yang is in the sovereign’s position. When the sovereign of men suffers Impasse, it comes from those above and below not giving in to him. A chifu [red ceremonial garment (knee covering)] is something worn by a retainer or vassal, and it is used here to suggest the arrival of such a person; this is why the text mentions the term fu [knee covering]. The sovereign of men suffers Impasse because all in the world do not come to him. If all were to come, it would not be Impasse. Although such a one at Fifth Yang finds himself in Impasse, he still possesses the virtues of strength and centrality. Below there is Second Yang, a worthy who also has strength and centrality. As their Daos are the same and their virtues coincide, eventually [xu, which means “slowly” in the Wang Bi and Kong Yingda commentaries] there is sure to be a response, and Second Yang will come to him, and together they will save the world from Impasse. This is what is meant by there first being Impasse but eventually joy.
As such, Cheng’s reading of Fifth Yang would be: “This one has his nose and feet cut off, and there is Impasse as far as those with red ceremonial garments are concerned, but eventually there will be joy. It is fitting to offer sacrifice here.” See Zhouyi zhezhong, 6: 47a.
10. Lou Yulie suggests that Wang here is paraphrasing a passage in section two of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two: “As for [the Dao of] change, when one process of it reaches its limit, a change from one state to another occurs. As such, change achieves free flow, and with this free flow, it lasts forever.” See Wang Bi ji jiaoshi, 2: 459 n. 21.
11. Kong Yingda’s commentary makes these remarks by Wang Bi more intelligible: “When one addresses the question of what means one should use to break through this ultimate stage of Impasse, one should plan for it, saying: ‘You must take the initiative and do that which could lead to regret, because even if regret were to happen, be assured that afterward you, located as you are here in Impasse and seeking deliverance, can thereby move on and so garner good fortune for yourself.’ ” See Zhouyi zhengyi, 5: 14b. Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi interpret this part of Top Yin somewhat differently. They say that one here should know that whatever he does before Impasse undergoes flux and passes away will result in regret, but once one acquires this sense of regret and after he waits for this time of Impasse to pass away, he then can set forth and obtain good fortune—not before. See Zhouyi zhezhong, 6: 48a.